Surviving

I know I am not really “just surviving.”  That is a title that should be reserved for people suffering disease or loss.  I, on the other hand, am just trying to be a single mom lately.  (To all you single moms out there, you are amazing.  I know it is usually not a choice, and it is not your dream.  You have a heavy burden to bear, and I admire your tenacity.)  Jeremy has basically been gone for the past two weeks for work.  It feels like longer because I am pretty sure it was a number a days a different week prior to these two, but I have kinda lost count.  He is home now, and I feel like I can breathe just a little more.   Needless to say, the blog has been on the back burner. 

What have we done? 

• cleaned and painted (again) at the townhouse (thanks AGAIN, Mom!)
• volunteered at MCC Connections – checking markers this time
• memorized some more scripture (“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, Jesus” John 3:16, and “Give freely” Deuteronomy 15:10)
• experimented with melting ice
• hung out at Starbucks while I met with my classmate about a presentation we are doing (tonight!)
• went to Ashland to visit cousins
• started Mini-Notes choir (Madison – and she did a great job Sunday singing!)
• had a play date with Tara and Grace – finally!  It had been since before the new year started, and it was so good to reconnect.
• took a meal to a family in church
• reconnected with neighbors as we peddle around the neighborhood
• biked to the park for a morning play date with Rachael and Gracie
• played dress up
• put away their “cooking ingredients” more times than I can count (mixture of tangrams, foam blocks, and magnetic letters – sorted every time!)
• watched at least one movie
• visited grandparents
• went to pancake breakfasts to support Ruritans (and Papa Yoh)
• watched two NCAA March Madness games IN Columbus! (Jeremy’s fun)
• invited Ben, Steph, Cale, and Landen for supper

Yep, that’s the list.  I try to stay busy.  I think sometimes it might become too busy, but then we are here for more than a day, I start going a little crazy knowing the day is not going to end with any reinforcements, just me.  Most of the things I have really enjoyed.  II is good to get outside walking, biking, breathing fresh air.  It is good and relaxing to have people over or go visit others.  It is good to memorize scripture – we talked about giving freely and sharing and blessing others with our love.  Cleaning up toys and school work…well let’s just say, I need to really work at being cheerful when doing or talking about those. 

What am I looking forward to?

• getting outside and trying my bike out I got for Christmas
• being done with school
• going to a conference and hanging out with college friends
• having time for my monthly supper with Laura
• finding time to take food to our neighbor that just had a baby
• going down to check in our neighbors who have been dealing with sickness lately
• Easter – a time of new birth
• Jeremy being home for at least two weeks
• being finished working on the townhouse
• going to pick out new glasses
• getting a new cell phone
• taking time to take pictures

What do I wish I could do?

• go somewhere on an airplane
• sleep in past eight o’clock
• go shopping - by myself (for something more fun than groceries, but I think even grocery shopping by myself would be fun)
• sell the townhouse (hoping this really happens and sooner rather than later…..)

That’s it… .my life in bullet points.  Seem shallow?  Maybe, but just remember I was/am a little overwhelmed.  Okay, here is one picture of Madison’s fancy dress up time.  Much classier than I manage to pull off sometimes  

I will attempt a blog next Monday to get back on schedule.  If not, I will blog when my class is officially over… so April 7ish.  Have a great week.

Painting

I feel like my life has revolved around two things lately – painting the townhouse and trying to do my classwork.  Sounds fantastic, doesn’t it? 

Painting… two weekends ago, my mom, Jeremy, and I went to Columbus to paint.  We painted from 8pm-2am and 7am-2pm (13 hours).  We were able to put the primer coat pretty much everywhere.  Our project was slightly delayed because when we got there the thermostat in the townhouse read 49F.  A little chilly… even too cold to paint - according to the paint can it must be at least 50F.  We had to call the furnace people to come out for an after hours service call; the guy cleaned the pilot light sensor and was out the door in about 15 minutes.  Thankfully, it was a small problem.  We left that weekend with mom and Jeremy pushing the van up the road in about 8-9 inches of snow!  We were all sore, exhausted, and ready to be done with paint.  Thankfully, the girls were not there underfoot.  The Yohs kept them for an overnight adventure; they had a blast with Grandma and Papa – a Frozen movie night, making snowmen rice krispie treats, and playing in the snow.

Last weekend, mom and I went to paint on Friday about 1.  The girls started with my dad, who took them to Yohs, who kept them overnight.  (Does this remind you of the nursery rhyme, “This is the house that Jack built”?)  Mom and I started painting at 3pm and ended at 2am.  We top coated the upstairs and main floor by the end of that.  Mom woke up at 6am; I slept til 7am.  We just kept going til 6pm… a second top coat in the kitchen, a top coat down the stairs, and in the basement.  Jeremy joined us on Saturday about 10am.  He put a layer on paint in the master bedroom with the cathedral ceilings; there are benefits to being tall!  We kept painting the insides of each closet.  We were done (except a small pantry recess, the unfinished basement wall, and the basement bathroom…which just needs a lot of love).  If you lost count of the hours, it was 22 hours of painting and 5 hours of sleep in 27 hours time.  It was also almost 4 gallons of primer, 6 gallons of top coat, and 3 more gallons of just white paint; we are thankful that Sherwin-Williams was having a 30% off sale!  Relief, exhaustion, and wishing someone would just buy it.

Grad classes are hard for me this session.  It is not as much the content, but the time requirements.  We are needing to be in the classroom a lot.  The problems with this are 1) I don’t have a classroom and 2) I can’t take my kids to school with me.  Thankfully, Dalton is letting me come in and do some work at their school , and I have amazing parents and in-laws who are willing to watch the girls for bits and pieces of time while I get to the school.  It is a juggling aact that involves more than just Jeremy and me! 

In other news… Jeremy was gone for 4 days in Nevada for work.  He traveled about 1000miles in the middle of nowhere, maybe somewhere near Reno.  He managed to hit the ski slopes at the end of the time.  He said they were jealous of all the snow we have been getting out east; strangely, we have more snow than Lake Tahoe area.  The girls and I hung out together, visited Grandma and Papa DeeDee, invited Luke, Steph, Lilli, and Sam for supper, and played.  I think we did pretty well surviving.  The house, however, is just surviving.  After cleaning and painting elsewhere, there is little motivation for taking care of here.  (Although I think tomorrow it will happen!)  This is one room heavily influenced by days of imaginative play as Jeremy and I try to get caught up from being gone.

   

We have had time to make snow ice cream for the first time.

We did a few of our Once a Day activities – birthday card to Ashel (our Compassion friend), book and outing (Mabel the tooth fairy and a trip to the dentist), and dancing.  We have kept up with our Bible memory.  They are doing a great job and so proud to recite it.  This last week was “Do not be afraid” Isaiah 43:5.

Today, the dresses for weddings came out.  It was quite fancy!

    

That’s the two week update.  Hope everyone is finding some joy in the beautiful snow God has gifted us with.  I know we are all ready for spring, but you have to admit snow is not all that bad…  Blessings in the week ahead.